The Trap (1961, sound)

In the swamps, this Venus flytrap holds its petals open, ready to catch an unwary prey. One misstep and the insect is imprisoned and killed by the flower. Of course, man needn't fear the Venus flytrap, but too often he traps himself through carelessness, indifference, and neglect. Every day, by ignoring the safety rules in industry, men are trapped. An accident in a tunnel, result severe injury. Accidentally contacted 4,000 V circuit, result loss of hands and arm. Trapped in the gears of a power shovel, result amputation. Crushed between a girder and the cab of a crane. I've seen lots of them and always somebody was careless, indifferent, neglectful. I ought to know. My job takes me into shops and factories. I'm a safety man for an insurance company. Normally, reading blueprints isn't a hazardous occupation. But look where these fellows are standing, right in the middle of the shop floor. As for those men running the hoist, you'd think they'd pick a different time and place to discuss last night's TV show. You're watching four men setting a trap by ignoring the safety rules, just asking for trouble. Well, nobody got hurt this time, but get the message. Stay clear of moving hoists and cranes. And if you're running a hoist or crane, concentrate on the job only. Statistics show that misuse of power saws is a common cause of serious accidents. And if you operate your saw the way this man does, you're asking for trouble. Notice that the guard is up instead of covering the blade. His pusher stick and safety glasses are on the table instead of being used. And he's wearing a wristwatch, which can catch on that blade. These are all potential traps, but don't take my word for it. This interview and the others you'll see are on-the-spot statements from accident victims. Mr. Owen, your accident happened right here at this machine. >> Right, right at this saw. I wonder if you could tell us what that accident did to you. Well, it took this first finger off, took the knuckle out of these two metal ones, and took the end of this last small finger off. And I was out of work for 19 months with it, and I can tell you that it was a long 19 months. Do you have any advice to offer on how to avoid accidents? Well, you've got to follow the safety rules, the first thing. And when you're pushing boards through, you should use the pusher stick, which I have right here in my hand. It's uh It's uh for pushing the board through and keep your hands out of the way. And you also got to concentrate on your work. Don't have any distractions while you're working around the saw. And And you've also got to respect the saw and because saws are a lot stronger than you are. Most people think it can't happen to them but I know because it's already happened to me. To prevent accidents, it's important to develop good safety attitudes. Long-sleeve shirts have no place in the shop near running machines. And reaching across a machine to turn it off can make it into a trap. If by mistake you're wearing a long-sleeve shirt, at least roll up the sleeves to prevent their being caught. Remember, the machine is stronger than you are and can trap you if you become careless. And when turning your machine on and off, keep clear. Avoid the moving parts. I've investigated thousands of accidents and I've found one basic cause that figures in almost every one of them and that's carelessness. This fellow's carelessness seems to have degenerated into contempt for his machine and its power. For one thing, he's letting that machine run while he goes to talk to someone. For another, he's neglected to put the guard into place. The result? While that careless conversation goes on, that machine is unguarded, untended. It's become a trap. It doesn't pay to become indifferent and neglectful about the power of any moving machine. This planer table is slow moving, even harmless-looking, but that table weighs over 6 tons and it's best to show a healthy respect for anything that size and weight, something neither of these men seems to have done. Did you ever get jolted by 6 tons? It's enough to crack a couple of ribs or if you get hit in the head to cause a concussion. It's important to develop the proper safety attitudes in every part of the shop or plant and that includes around vats and dip tanks. If you don't, then chemical solutions, acids, even hot water can become liquid traps. These men think they're protected by wearing safety glasses. But how would you like to get your face and arms splattered with acid? Notice too that they're leaning over the tanks, not away from them. The right protection around dip tanks and vats calls for a face mask over regular eye protection, long rubber gloves covering all skin areas, a rubber apron, and a stance away from the tank, not leaning over it. Proper work clothes are important for your safety. Short-sleeve shirt, tucked-in belt, cuffless trousers, work shoes, nothing on your wrists to catch on machines. These are basic. When necessary, wear a hard hat. For eye protection, there are safety glasses, goggles, and face masks for every type of job. Use them. From your head down to your toes, the right clothing will help protect you, no matter what kind of job you might be doing. If your work calls for them, wear foot, leg, shin guards, heavy-duty shoes. For your hands, there are protective work gloves. Use them to prevent burns, bruises, abrasions, contact with chemicals. Right down to special equipment like this aluminized proximity suit, there are safety clothes to protect you. Around hoists, chargers, lifting devices of any kind, the one essential rule is to keep clear of moving parts. Don't gamble on their never failing or breaking. This man is ignoring that basic rule, is setting a trap for himself by standing inside the guardrail. If that load breaks and falls, he's sure to be trapped underneath it. And when your company's safety or personnel man catches you goofing on the rules, don't give him a fancy argument. He's making you tow the line for your own good. Guardrails are there for your safety. Sure, I know you believe in safety, but that's not enough. You've got to think and act safety as well. This guy's reaching for trouble. To avoid falls from ladders, be sure your ladder has the right feet for the surface and is positioned properly so it won't slip. Angle it so you can work safely. Every year, thousands of employees are killed in falls. Don't become part of this grim statistic. Speaking of falls, let's go with our interviewer to the Institute for the Crippled and Disabled in New York, where people are retrained and rehabilitated after accidents. Could you tell us um how your accident happened? Yes, while working as an engineer, I fell down this escape hatch into the boiler room uh fracturing my left leg. And uh 16 to 18 months ago. Since then, I've been on crutches and still use a cane. Probably always will. What do you think men in factories ought to do about safety? I'm sure that all of you men working on industrial jobs, if you were more careful and obeyed all of these safety rules, uh would reduce the number of accidents. I know personally what the results are in both the loss of the job, pain, hospitalization. Now, let's go to the Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and talk to another patient. This man fell from a moving vehicle with very serious results. And the accident hit me in the ribs and crushed my ribs. And I I've been paralyzed from the wheel going across my midsection. Will you be able to walk again? Well, it's it's only been 7 months now and it it's quite early just yet. It's I really couldn't say cuz it takes anywhere from a year to 2 years before I'll really tell how long how I I will be able to get along. Well, will you be able to work again? Well, I'll be able to work from my wheelchair only because I would not be able to go back and do what I was doing anymore. After what you've been through, do you have any thoughts on industrial accidents? Yes, follow all your safety rules and because accidents can happen any place and any time. And believe me, it's no fun to be in a wheelchair because it's so it's so hard to do things and there's so many things you have to do without and live without that you've been used to doing all the time. And believe me, you guys, it's really no fun to be in a wheelchair. Safety signs are warnings about potential accident traps and you ignore them at your peril. This forklift truck driver is daydreaming, not looking ahead of him on the road. And this man with a hand truck is looking in the wrong direction while crossing the road. The result? They're on a collision course. And it's just a matter of luck that someone doesn't end up with a broken leg or arm. The plain fact is that it's not enough to just read the safety signs and bulletins. You've got to obey them, too. Every sign warns you about a real hazard, an accident trap. And if you obey them, you'll ensure your chances of coming home to your family in one piece at the end of the working day. Sloppiness is out of place in the shop as much as anywhere else. Whoever spilled that oil on those steps was thoughtless, was baiting a trap. And it's just as thoughtless to catch up on your reading while walking around a shop. Now, if you think you're just risking a bruised arm with this kind of behavior, just listen to this. You slipped on a welding rods. Yes. Uh, the welding rod was left there uh, by a a pre-a prior worker. And uh, as a result of which uh, I was hurt. I uh, I slipped on and fell beneath the wheels of a 20,000 lb trailer. After falling uh, beneath the uh, truck, the trailer. And uh, I was paralyzed. I uh, not move and I could not, uh, call out uh, for assistance. And, uh, I, uh, saw the, uh, wheels coming towards me until they finally passed over my body and heard the, uh, ribs and bones breaking. How long were you in the hospital? I was in the hospital for 5, uh, months on my back. And, uh, all of this this time I was under sedatives and because the pain was so tremendous, so great. Do you have a family? Uh, yes. Uh, I have three boys and, uh, they were very much, uh, cut up upset when, uh, this thing occurred to me. As a result of your experience, do you have any thoughts on plant safety? I definitely have. I believe that, uh, labor and management should, uh, both cooperate to see that all working areas do not have any obstructions or any byproducts which might cause accidents such as occurred to me or could occur to any one of you. Good plant housekeeping helps make your job safer. Wires should never be left carelessly lying across an aisle or overloaded in a spider box. Overloading is one of the main causes of fire. And never stand in a coil of wires. It's a perfect way to trap yourself into an accident. Boxes of trash and waste can be fire hazards. Get rid of them. Aisles and work areas should be clear to prevent tripping. You spend about 1/3 of your adult life in work areas. Keep them clean, uncluttered, and safe. When cleaning chips, filings, or cuttings, brush them off your bench. It's wrong to use an air hose. One squirt and those chips can get into someone's eye. Speaking of air hoses, this overgrown kid fancies himself a comedian. Very funny. But men have died as a result of air hose horseplay in the shop and others have been permanently crippled. This victim, who incidentally shouldn't have been blocking his vision with that mountain of wood, got immediate first aid. That's important. Even if your injury is slight, have it treated at once. Here's a man who had what he thought was a minor injury. Let's talk to him. What's your name, sir? Harold McGoff. Did you have an on-the-job accident? Yes, I did about 3 years ago. What happened as a result of this accident? This is what happened and this is the result. I had a sliver in my thumb and in 72 hours, it killed the inside of the arm, the tissues and tendons. And I was hospitalized for 7 months. Then they took the arm off and this is the result of the accident. How long were you out of work? I went back to work after a year and 3 months, but I couldn't swing the job. And then I went to rehabilitation center sometime after that and I was able to go back to work after about 2 years. Well, Mr. McGoff, have you got anything to say to those guys who ignore the safety rules? Yes, I have. No matter how small an injury seems, take care of it right away and follow up on it or you might wind up with one of these. If you have safety rules, follow them. If you have safety guards, use them because it's no fun walking around with one of these. From my experience as a safety man, I found that neglecting to use machine guards is a big cause of accidents. Guards are put on machines to prevent them from becoming traps, to protect you from injuries. Every machine, no matter the size or type or make, can be guarded at the critical points. The important thing is to put those guards in place and keep them there while operating. Accidents happen not only in shops and factories, but on outside construction jobs, too. The man on this girder is violating every safety rule in the book. He's setting a trap for himself. Let's hear from someone who had an accident on a construction job. How How did your accident happen? Well, I was a construction worker on steel. I was signaling on a crane. I sent the load up, and the load shifted on me, and it hit the side of the beam, swung around, hit me in the back, knocked me off the building. I see. Did you have a rough time of it? Well, it was uh I would uh when I first got hurt, they had me on a Stryker frame. I was on a Stryker frame for weeks. I had broken all my ribs, I severed my spine, I'm paralyzed from the ribs down. Uh they had me on a Stryker frame for 4 weeks. Then I had a skin grafting done on my back. They took the skin off my back and put it on my feet. So, I had to lay on my stomach for 14 weeks on a stretcher. I ate and slept that way. Then they finally got me up sitting up in a chair. But uh I broke down about three times and had to go back onto the stretcher again. Will you be able to walk again? No, I'll never be able to walk again, but I will be able to swing through on crutches. I have no hip movements whatsoever. Will you be able to work again? Well, that'll be a problem. I hope to I'm willing and anxious to work again, but doing what I I've no idea right up to now. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? Well, I'd like to say that if uh I can help anybody by the advice, I'm not very good at it, but I mean on the job, I mean, you have posters around and all, and take you just to stand there and look at it. I mean, I read it, it wouldn't hurt, believe me, it can help you. Then you can watch a fellow worker or two, he might be doing something wrong and you might prevent him from an injury. And the main thing is obey the rules and regulations. That means a lot because I'm telling you I got a wife and eight children and I know most of you fellows I'm talking to they have children and we got plenty of wheelchairs up here and I certainly don't want to see any of you fellows winding up in a wheelchair and it can happen very easy by just a simple little accident. The insect caught in the Venus flytrap can't help itself, but you've got the brain and judgement of a human being. Don't let the machines you work at turn into traps that will cause pain and suffering that will mean loss of income for your family. No amount of compensation is really worth a limb or your life. On the job, away from the job, think safety, act safety for your own sake and the sake of those you love.